For more complete coverage of information concerning
graduate
education at the University of Kansas, please
consult the Graduate
School Catalogue.
It is available on-line at: http://www.ku.edu/~graduate/
Funding:
Q #1: What kind of funding opportunities are available for students?
Graduation Procedures & Guidelines:
Internship Issues:
Q #3: What kind of experiences are internship sites looking for in potential interns?
Q #7: Will my student loans still be deferred when I am enrolled for internship credits?
Q #8: Will I be charged for campus fees and standard tuition rates while I am on internship?
Leaves of Absence:
Q#1: What is a "leave of absence?"
Practicum Experiences:
Q #2: What kind of practicum experiences are available for students?
Kansas Residence Issues:
Q #1: How long do students have in order to complete the Ph.D. degree at KU?
Scheduling Orals & Exams:
Thesis & Dissertation Related Rules:
Q #1: What is the "Thesis Rule?"
Q #4: What are the format requirements for Thesis and Dissertation manuscripts?
"18-Hour" Rule:
Q #1: What is the "18-hour rule?"
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Funding:
Q #1: What kind of funding opportunities are available for students?
A: The Psychology Department has access to a limited number of Graduate School Fellowships and GTA awards to use in the recruitment process. Currently, all of these are awarded based on university-wide competition. Because of the high quality of our program's applicants, the clinical program typically has been successful in securing several awards for our entering students.
Aside from the Fellowships and Graduate School GTA awards, the financial support for entering graduate students comes in two forms: Teaching Assistantships (TAs) and Research Assistantships (RAs). The program is strongly committed to providing all entering students with financial support during their first year in the program. In the second year and beyond, especially after our students have received the MA degree, the variety of support resources expands beyond the typical TA and RA appointments as they become eligible for Assistant Instructorships (AIs) within the Psychology Department and also become eligible for positions in area mental health organizations as well as a variety of University offices. Although the program does not "guarantee" funding in the second year and beyond to students who enter with TA and RA support during the first year, in fact our advanced students are rarely without financial support in one form or another.
Graduation Procedures & Guidelines:
Q #1: How do I go about applying for graduation after I have completed the requirements for the MA and Ph.D. degrees?
A: Information concerning graduation requirements, application procedures, and deadlines is available on-line.
A: You will officially graduate at the end of the Fall semester (i.e., in December). This is because the last day of your internship extends beyond the deadline for Summer graduation. Some universities have allowed clinical students to graduate at the end of the Summer semester despite the fact that the students' internships end after the formal deadlines for completion of all degree requirements for Summer graduation. The University of Kansas, however, has maintained a strict policy of allowing official graduation only after all formal degree requirements have been met.
A: You will officially graduate at the end of the Summer semester (i.e., in August). This is because the last day of your internship extends beyond the deadline for Spring graduation. Some universities have allowed clinical students to graduate at the end of the Spring semester despite the fact that the students' internships end after the formal deadlines for completion of all degree requirements for Spring graduation. The University of Kansas, however, has maintained a strict policy of allowing official graduation only after all formal degree requirements have been met.
A: Almost without exception potential employers will accept a letter from the Program Director stating that, once the internship has been completed (and the final copy of the dissertation has been submitted), the student will have (or has) completed all degree requirements. In effect, the formal graduation date is a formality. This is not a problem that is unique to our program, so most potential employers have encountered it before.
A: This information (and lots of other useful items of information concerning theses and dissertations) is available on-line at: http://www.ku.edu/~graduate/Students/Current/index.shtml. Also, see Thesis & Dissertation Related Rules.
Internship Issues:
A: October 15 of the year preceding the calendar year in which the internship begins for all students who entered the program in the Fall of 1994 or later. Students who entered the program prior to the Fall 1994 semester have until the last day of finals of the Spring semester prior to the beginning of the internship.
A: Yes. If a student is unable to schedule his or her comprehensive oral exam because of scheduling difficulties associated with getting all members of his or her dissertation committee together, exceptions can be and have been made. Except in extremely rare circumstances, such schedule-induced delays should never extend beyond one week past October 15. Delays that are due to the student's failure to have the dissertation proposal ready to defend are not eligible for exception.
Q #3: What kind of experiences are internship sites looking for in potential interns?
A: Your best bet here is to go straight to the APPIC web site where they answer this and other important questions regarding internships and the application process: APPIC-Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers
A: Our students have been quite successful in securing high-quality internships that are exceptionally well suited to their educational and professional goals. Since 2000, our students have been accepted into the following internship settings:
- 2000-2001 --- Yale University Medical School (1)
- 2000-2001 --- University of Illinois, Chicago -- Department of Psychiatry (1)
- 2000-2001 --- Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center (1)
- 2000-2001 --- University of Alabama, Birmingham Medical Center (1)
- 2000-2001 --- Montefiorre Medical Center, Bronx, NY (1)
- 2001-2002 --- Southern Illinois University (1)
- 2001-2002 --- Duke University Medical School -- Department of Psychiatry (1)
- 2001-2002 --- University of Illinois, Chicago -- Department of Psychiatry (1)
- 2001-2002 --- VA Medical Center -- Washington, D.C. (1)
- 2001-2002 --- Palo Alto VA Health Care Center (2)
- 2001-2002 --- University of Florida Health Sciences Center (1)
- 2001-2002 --- Albuquerque VA Medical Center -- Indian Health Services (1)
- 2001-2002 --- University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development (1)
- 2001-2002 --- University of Wisconsin Medical School -- Dept. of Psychiatry (1)
- 2001-2002 --- Federal Medical Center, Rochester, MN. (1)
- 2001-2002 --- Cincinnati Child Hospital (1)
- 2002-2003 --- Yale University (Psychiatry) (1)
- 2002-2003 --- VA Medical Center, Battle Creek, Michigan (1)
- 2002-2003 --- Western Missouri Mental Health Center, Kansas City, MO (2)
- 2002-2003 --- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA (1)
- 2002-2003 --- Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital (1)
- 2003-2004 --- Univ. of S. Carolina/DVA Consortium, Charleston, SC. (1)
- 2003-2004 --- Western Missouri Mental Health Center., KC, MO (1)
- 2003-2004 --- VA Palo Alto Health Care System . Palo Alto, CA (2)
- 2003-2004 --- Yale Univ. Psychiatry, CMHC. New Haven, CT. (1)
- 2003-2004 --- Duke Univ. Med Center, Psychiatry. Durham, NC (1)
- 2004-2005 --- VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN (1)
- 2004-2005 --- VA Eastern Kansas HealthCare System, Leavenworth, KS. (1)
- 2004-2005 --- Memphis VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN. (1)
- 2004-2005 --- VA Eastern Kansas HealthCare System, Topeka, KS. (1)
- 2004-2005 --- Federal Bureau of Prisons--Tallahassee, Tallahassee, FL. (1)
- 2004-2005 --- VA Medical Center--West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. (1)
- 2005-2006 --- Univ. of Kansas / Watkins Health Center, Lawrence, KS(1)
- 2005-2006 --- Norfolk Regional Center, Norfolk, NE (1)
- 2005-2006 --- Family Service & Guidance Center, Topeka, KS (1)
- 2005-2006 --- VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System, Leavenworth, KS (2)
- 2005-2006 --- Duke University Medical Center (Psychiatry), Durham, NC (2)
- 2006-2007 --- Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital (2)
- 2006-2007 --- VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, Topeka, KS (1)
- 2006-2007 --- VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA (1)
- 2006-2007 --- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA (1)
- 2006-2007 --- Duke University Medical School, Durham NC (1)
- 2006-2007 --- Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL (1)
- 2006-2007 --- Arkansas Div. Behavioral Health Service, Little Rock, AR (1)
- 2006-2007 --- Family Service and Guidance Center, Inc., Topeka, KS (1)
- 2006-2007 --- University of Alabama at Birmingham/VA, Birmingham, AL (1)
- 2007-2008 --- University of Florida Health Sciences Center (1)
- 2007-2008 --- Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO (1)
- 2007-2008 --- American Lake VA Medical Center, Tacoma, WA (1)
- 2007-2008 --- VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, Topeka, KS (1)
- 2008-2009 --- Univ. of California-San Diego Consortium / VA Med (1)
- 2008-2009 --- VA Medical Center, Salem, VA (1)
- 2008-2009 --- VA Medical Center, HInes, IL (2)
- 2008-2009 --- VA Connecticut Health Care System, West Haven, CT (1)
- 2008-2009 --- Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA (1)
- All of these internship placements are APA approved, full-time, and funded .
- Information regarding the percentage of our students who have successfully secured internships in each of the past 7 years may be viewed on the Admissions page of our web site.
A: You will officially graduate at the end of the Fall semester (i.e., in December). This is because the last day of your internship extends beyond the deadline for Summer graduation. Also see Graduation Procedures & Guidelines.
A: You will officially graduate at the end of the Summer semester (i.e., in August). This is because the last day of your internship extends beyond the deadline for Spring graduation. Also see Graduation Procedures & Guidelines.
Q #7: Will my student loans still be deferred when I am enrolled for internship credits?
A: The KU Financial Aid Office regards one hour of internship enrollment ( PSYC 974) to be a half-time enrollment. Students who need to maintain full-time enrollment in order to defer loan payments will need to be enrolled for a minimum of 2 credit hours per semester of internship. When required, these additional one-hour enrollments typically involve dissertation credits (i.e., PSYC 999). For purposes of qualifying for special "field rates" of tuition and campus fees (see Internship Q #8 below), it is important that any such supplemental enrollment be "By Appointment."
Q #8: Will I be charged for campus fees and standard tuition rates while I am on internship?
A: Students who are enrolled only in coursework taught by appointment and who reside and complete all academic work outside Lawrence may apply for special "Field Rates." The application must be submitted each semester special field rate fee adjustments are requested. The Special Rates Application form for Field Rates may be obtained from the KU Registrar at http://www.registrar.ku.edu/pdf/fieldapp.pdf.
Leaves of Absence:
Q#1: What is a "leave of absence?"
A: On occasion, it is necessary for a student to take some time off from the direct pursuit of their KU degree. When this happens, it is important that the student take a "leave of absence" rather than simply "dropping out." There are at least two compelling reasons for this. First, a person who is on leave does not have to reapply for admission into the program in order to resume his or her degree pursuit. Second, the "clock stops" insofar as univirsity and graduate school rules regarding the maximum number of years a student may take to complete his or her degree program are concerned. For example, the graduate school stipulates that a student entering a Ph.D. program at KU has a maximum of 8 years from beginning to end in order to complete a Ph.D. degree. (Students completing a masters degree at KU and then proceding toward the Ph.D. have a total of 10 years to complete all degree requirements.) A student who takes a 1-year leave of absence during his or her time at KU will have an additional year (i.e., s/he will have either 9 years or 11 years) to complete the degree. Leaves of absence are granted for a maximum of 1 year at a time. Once a student has had 5 consecutive years of leave, she or he must reapply for admission to the program in order to resume his or her studies.
A: You may obtain the LOA petition form from the Psychology Department Graduate Secretary or from the College Graduate Office. You also may download the form at: http://www.graduate.ku.edu/pdf/applications/Revised_Petition_form_0205.pdf. Submit the completed form to the Program Director. If the program approves the appeal the student's academic advisor and the Program Director sign the appeal form and forward it to the College Graduate Office. So long as the program approves the request, it is pretty much a "done deal" insofar as the College Graduate Office is concerned. Leaves of absence are approved for no more than one year at a time unless there are extraordinary circumstances. It is possible for a student to return before the end of the requested leave period.
A: You will be assessed tuition at the rate appropriate to your status (i.e., either resident or nonresident). Depending on the time of the semester when you drop your classes, you may be eligible for some percentage of tuition refund. For example, were you to drop your classes before the date at which tuition refunds go from 50% to 0%, you would be refunded 50% of the tuition you were asked to pay.
There is an appeal process. Although there is no guarantee that the appeals committee would approve an appeal to have 100% of your tuition waived (for example), in general the odds of having such an appeal approved go up the earlier in the semester the leave is taken and if there are compelling medical grounds for the leave. Such appeals are directed at the University Associate Registrar for Enrollment Services.
With regard to the question of having to repay any TA salary you may have received prior to taking a mid-semester leave of absence, the answer is that you would not have to repay if you continued performing your TA duties up until the time you took the leave. If, however, you ceased functioning as a TA prior to taking the leave, technically you would be expected to repay any salary you had received for the time you were not performing your TA duties.
Practicum Experiences:
A: The Clinical Program believes it is essential for the profession to establish and nurture a scientific foundation for psychotherapeutic interventions. Within this general orientation toward encouraging an empirical basis for clinical practice, the program historically has adopted an eclectic approach to training and supervision within the clinical practica. For example, whereas some faculty and supervisors may espouse primarily a cognitive-behavioral theoretical orientation, others identify primarily with dynamic or interpersonal therapeutic modalities. In general, students are encouraged to broaden, rather than restrict, their theoretical perspectives and practice options.
Q #2: What kind of practicum experiences are available for students?
A: The primary training site for students within the General portion of the clinical program is the KU Psychological Clinic. For general students, the minimum practicum requirements are met within the Clinic which functions as a small university and community based general mental health center. Although students in the general portion of the clinical program must fulfill most of their mandated minimum practicum requirements within the KU Psychological Clinic, most of them also obtain additional clinical experience within a variety of community and university sites.
For students in the Clinical Health subspecialty of the program, part of their mandated minimum practicum requirements are met within the KU Psychological Clinic but, typically, 1/2 to 2/3 of their practicum requirements are obtained in other settings, primarily the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Individuals who are interested in the Clinical Health Subspecialty will want to examine the materials describing that program and the resources associated with it.
Kansas Residence Issues:
Q #1: How long do students have in order to complete the Ph.D. degree at KU?
A: According to the Graduate School Catalogue, students who enter a KU doctoral degree program have a total of 8 years in order to complete all degree requirements for the Ph.D. Students who complete both the MA and Ph.D. degrees at KU have a total of 10 years to complete all degree requirements. One-year extensions are commonly granted by the graduate school upon the written advice of the degree program and dissertation committee. The number of years allowed to complete the Ph.D. degree may also be extended if the student has applied for and received a leave of absence from the program.
Scheduling Orals & Exams:
A: October 15 of the year preceding the calendar year in which the internship begins for all students who entered the program in the Fall of 1994 or later. Students who entered the program prior to the Fall 1994 semester have until the last day of finals of the Spring semester prior to the beginning of the internship.
A: If a student is unable to schedule his or her comprehensive oral exam because of scheduling difficulties associated with getting all members of his or her dissertation committee together, exceptions have been made. Except in extremely rare circumstances, such schedule-induced delays should never extend beyond one week past October 15. Delays that are due to the student's failure to have the dissertation proposal ready to defend are not elegible for exception.
A: 1.) In practice, students have been allowed to take the comprehensive oral exam during a semester in which they are currently enrolled in the last course that is specifically required for the degree. A student also may be currently enrolled in dissertation hours and/or elective hours. (Elective courses are not specifically required for the degree, although a minimum number of elective credits is.)
2.) On rare occasions, a specifically required course (e.g., Psych. 975--Professional & Ethical Problems) may not have been available in a sufficiently predictable or timely manner. An example might be that a required course that is ordinarily offered every spring semester (and students therefore plan on its availability) is not offered during a given spring semester due to a professor's illness, sabbatical, etc. The program's stance has been that a student who has reasonably relied on the course's predictable availability should not be penalized by being forced to delay the comprehensive oral exam (and, therefore, progress on the dissertation and possibly the ability to apply for internships) until the course is offered again.
3.) It is always possible for a student to petition for individual consideration in instances where there are idiosyncratic extenuating circumstances.
A: As a practical matter, the "rule of thumb" the program has always applied is that the thesis rule goes into effect one month following the beginning of classes in the Fall semester of the student's third year in the program. At the beginning of each Fall semester, the program director notifies all affected students and their thesis mentors of the specific dates for the given year.
A: See Thesis & Dissertation Related Rules Q & A #3
Thesis & Dissertation Related Rules:
Q #1: What is the "Thesis Rule?"
A: The so-called "thesis rule" is a clinical program rule that states that a student who has not completed the oral defense of the masters thesis by the beginning of his or her third year in the program can only enroll in thesis-related or required practicum coursework until such time as the thesis has been successfully defended. The intent of the rule is to encourage students to make steady progress toward completion of the thesis.
As with all other "rules" the thesis rule can be appealed if the student feels s/he has just cause.
A: As a practical matter, the "rule of thumb" the program has always applied is that the thesis rule goes into effect one month following the beginning of classes in the Fall semester of the student's third year in the program. At the beginning of each Fall semester, the program director notifies all affected students and their thesis mentors of the specific dates for the given year.
A: According to Graduate School rules, the Masters Thesis Committee consists of 3 faculty members. The Comprehensive Oral Exam Committee (i.e., dissertation proposal defense committee) and the Final Oral Examination Committee (i.e, final oral dissertation defense committee) each consist of 5 faculty members, at least one of which must come from a department other than Psychology. The "outside" member represents the Graduate School for "quality assurance" purposes. The Dissertation Committee is distinct from, but typically is composed of members of the Comprehensive Oral Exam and Final Oral Defense Committees. The Dissertation Committee is composed of three faculty members who are regarded as having more specific responsibility for advising the candidate and for insuring that the dissertation meets the graduate school standards for dissertation quality. All Dissertation Committee members must be members of the graduate faculty. In addition, the Dissertation Committee chairperson must specifically be authorized to chair dissertations. The three-member Dissertation Committee need not have a member from outside the department, although it may.
In addition to the Graduate School policies governing the composition of Comprehensive Oral Exam, Dissertation, and Final Oral Examination Committees, the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Psychology imposes the following, supplemental requirements: (1) At least 50% of the members of each of the above committees must be graduate faculty with at least a 50% appointment in the Psychology Department, even if it means having more than 5 members on a Comprehensive Oral Exam or Final Oral Examination Committee. At least two members of the above committees must be from the Clinical Program graduate faculty. (2) When a Clinical Program doctoral student's dissertation chairperson is from a department other than Psychology or does not have at least a 50% appointment within the Department of Psychology, the student must have a co-chairperson from within the Clinical Program who does have at least a 50% appointment. In such instances, the Clinical Program co-chairperson will be the chairperson of record (i.e., the person who signs the "Do-All" form).
Q #4: What are the format requirements for Thesis and Dissertation manuscripts?
A: This information (and lots of other useful items of information concerning KU's policy regarding electronic submission of theses and dissertations) can be found at: http://www.ku.edu/~graduate/ETD/
"18-Hour" Rule:
Q #1: What is the "18-hour rule?"
A: The "18-hour rule" is a graduate school requirement relating to post-comprehensive (oral) exam enrollment. Once a person has passed the comprehensive oral exam, she or he must be continuously enrolled, including summer sessions, until all degree requirements have been completed. During this time, until all degree requirements have been completed or until 18 post-comprehensive exam hours have been completed (whichever comes first), the candidate must enroll for a minimum of 6 hours per semester and 3 hours per summer session. After the 18-hour requirement has been satisfied (and until all degree requirements have been met) the individual must be continuously enrolled, but may enroll in whatever number of hours is deemed appropriate, given their level of use of university resources.
Because of this rule many students, especially those expecting to be on internship during the next academic year, find it useful to enroll in as many dissertation (or other) hours as possible during the semester in which they plan to schedule their comprehensive oral exam. The reason for this is that all hours taken during the semester of the comprehensive oral exam count toward the "18-hour rule."
For additional information or questions on the accreditation of the KU Clinical Psychology Program, contact the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Web: http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/ Phone: 202-336-5979. E-Mail: apaaccred@apa.org .
